Funding is requested for partial support of the 8th Biennial Conference of the American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB), which will be held from November 13-16, 2016 in St. Petersburg, FL. The ASMB was founded in 2000 to advance research in the field of extracellular matrix (ECM) biology and to facilitate interactions among scientists and trainees in the field, with the overall goal of furthering the application of new knowledge to advance human health. This field encompasses the structure and function of ECM components, interactions of these components with cells, how these interactions influence intracellular signaling and gene expression, their role during embryonic development, and the alteration of these processes in hereditary and acquired diseases, particularly in tissue injury, repair, and aging. Thus, ECM biology and the 2016 ASMB meeting are translationally relevant to age-related diseases across organ systems such as fibrosis, altered wound healing, cancer, metabolic disease, inflammation, immune dysregulation and the stem cell niche. ASMB 2016 theme and format: The 2016 ASMB conference theme is ?The ECM microenvironment as a Regulatory Force in Aging and Disease?. This is the first ASMB meeting to specifically address the emerging roles of ECM in dysregulated tissue repair processes and chronic diseases of aging. Judith Campisi (Buck Institute for Research on Aging) is the keynote speaker. The program is comprised of member-developed, trainee-led Special Interest Sessions; Plenary Sessions on ECM and Metabolic Disease, ECM Dysfunction in Aging and Fibrosis, ECM in Regenerative Medicine and the Stem Cell Niche, Mechanisms of ECM Regulation, and Therapeutics to Regulate ECM in Diseases; Concurrent Platform Sessions covering diverse, specialized topics; complementary Poster Sessions; and Poster Sessions not covered by oral sessions. Career Mentoring and Women Mentoring Women Breakfasts for ASMB trainees and young scientists are a key part of this conference. The venue (Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront) has self-contained meeting space with ample room for social interactions and discussions in proximity to exhibit and poster spaces. Meeting Participants: The 2016 ASMB Meeting represents a unique opportunity for scientists and medical professionals working in research, clinical, and applied disciplines related to ECM biology to meet, present data, discuss, learn, and network. This is the only conference with sufficient scope to broadly cover the ECM field across multiple organs and diseases and with the necessary depth. Given the focus on investigation, education and professional development of young scientists, and the innovative program with its inclusion of aging-relevant disease models, attendance is expected to exceed 300 participants, including ASMB members and non-members. Attendees include basic scientists, bioengineers, and clinician-scientists, from academia and industry, at all levels of career development. Participation by the International Society for Matrix Biology (ISMB) and the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) further expands the reach of this meeting.